It didn’t make any sense, but then, the woman had gone into full looney mode.
Before Penelope could answer Wendy, Aeden came crashing through the door. Penelope swung her gun toward him, and in that instant, Wendy found enough energy to launch herself at the woman. Wendy hit her arm just as the gun went off. They went tumbling to the floor, the collision caused Penelope to lose the gun.
Penelope screeched and scrambled toward it, but Aeden was there before she could get it. He grabbed the woman and tugged her away from Wendy.
“I don’t think so, you crazy bitch,” he muttered, as if it was just no big deal. He handed her off to someone behind him, then he turned toward her.
“Are you okay?” he asked as he lifted her up off the floor and held her close. His warmth surrounded her and she suddenly realized how cold she was.
“She hit my head again,” she mumbled into his chest. It felt so good to have his arms around her, but she started to shake. Soon her teeth were chattering.
“Shh,” he said. “Just adrenaline kicking in.”
She lifted her head and looked over to see Detective O’Reilly handing a handcuffed Penelope off to a couple of uniformed cops. “Where did she come from?”
“She was at Declan’s, where I was.” He looked down at her and she saw the guilt in his eyes. “I’m sorry. This is all my fault.”
She focused on his words and tried to make sense of them. “How can you say that? You’re not the one who hurt me.”
“I shouldn’t have had that fight with you.”
“True.”
He winced. “Gee, don’t try to sugar coat it for me.”
“Well, in this case, I can say you were partially right. Part of the problem was with Ryan.”
“I take it you’re okay?” Detective O’Reilly said.
“Thanks to you and Aeden.”
“Uh,” Declan said as he stepped into the apartment. “I think we need to get you to the hospital.”
“I’ll have Aeden take me over to double check on my concussion again. That woman hit me in the head a second time.”
“No, I mean O’Reilly. I mean, it’s your blood on the floor, right?” he asked.
O’Reilly looked back at the floor, then down at her arm. “Well, damn. Not again. My mother is going to throw a fit.”
“Let me look at that,” Wendy said, untangling herself and rushing over to her. Her head was still throbbing, but she wasn’t quite as dizzy as before. Besides, she had already moved into nurse mode. She could see the blood as she helped the detective off with her coat. “It looks like a flesh wound.”
“If she wasn’t insane, I would have to punch that woman. I just bought that jacket. It cost me a fortune.”
“You’re bleeding, and you’ve been shot. I think your coat is not that important,” Declan said in a stern voice.
They all stopped and stared at him.
“What?” he said.
Wendy swallowed a smile. “Nothing. I want to cover it up, so I can stop the bleeding before we head to the ER.”
“I don’t like the hospital,” O’Reilly said.
“Yeah, well, Wendy said you have to go, so you have to go,” Declan declared.
Again, Wendy glanced at Declan who had crossed his arms over his chest.
“Besides, Wendy has to go anyway. We can all go in your car,” Aeden offered.
“Great. And now I’m not going to hear the end of this,” she said, then sucked in a breath when Wendy placed a bandage on her wound.
“From your supervisor?”
“No. From Zach. He’s such a pain in the ass.”
Wendy glanced at Aeden for an explanation. “Her brother.”
“Ah. Well, if he bothers you, tell me. Seeing that you were wounded saving my life, I think I might have just a few words for him.”
O’Reilly smiled. “I might have to take you up on that. Do you think I need to go? I really don’t like the hospital. Or needles. I really hate needles.”
“You spent the last week in and out of that hospital,” Aeden said with a laugh.
“I hated every minute of it, but that was the job.”
“Come on. I’m sure there are more than a few nurses who would like to help you,” Wendy said with a smile.
The detective scowled as she walked passed a few cops who were coming into the apartment.
“Ms. Reynolds needs to go the ER as she was hit in the head again. And there should be some damned bullet with my blood on it around here.”
“Found it,” someone yelled out from the landing.
“Let me get your jacket,” Aeden said.
She nodded and waited where she was. She didn’t have a choice. Her head was feeling lighter than before, and now that the adrenaline had dissolved, she was starting to feel slightly sleepy.
“Whoa there, Wendy,” Declan said as he rushed forward.
He held her steady until Aeden returned. He helped her put on her jacket, then ignored her protest when he lifted her up.
“Oh, shut up, woman. You don’t want to fall down the stairs, do you?”
Because he was right, she agreed.
“Thank you for coming, Aeden,” she said just loud enough for him to hear.
He grunted as he carried her down the stairs. “I’ll always come for you, Wendy.”
Chapter 13
Aeden paced the hospital waiting room and ignored the strange stares from the people there. He didn’t care at the moment. They hadn’t let him go back right away with Wendy and he hated it. He hated that he had to be out here.
“You’re making me tired,” Declan said.
“Suck it.”
“I love you too, bro. Oh, thank God, Mom and Dad made it.”
He looked up and saw his parents rushing in.
“How is she?” his mother demanded.
“Everything is okay, but they’re checking her out. She got hit in the head again.”
“Why weren’t you with her? You were supposed to be there.”
Connal stood up. “That is partially my fault. He called me to cover, and I was at the gym and didn’t see my messages.”
His mother looked at him and opened her mouth, but his father saved him. “You can yell at him later.”
“Aeden?” one of the nurses called out. He turned and hurried over to her. “Wendy wants you to come back. She’s almost done.”
He turned back to his family. “Be right back.”
It only took a few seconds to make it back to her room. She was sitting on a bed looking very unhappy.
“What’s wrong.”
“They’re trying to keep me overnight.”
He looked at the nurse. “What Wendy doesn’t want to admit is that she has been hit on the head twice in less than forty-eight hours. We promised you one of the private rooms. And, as my supervising nurse told me when I first made it to the hospital, time to suck it up, buttercup. Be back in a few to admit you.”
She left them alone. Wendy was sitting there, frowning and he could tell from her expression, she was contemplating a way to get out of there.
“If you have a private room, does that mean I can stay with you?” he asked.
She shot Aeden a look that only spelled trouble for him.“Do you mean you want to? I didn’t know if you would think I was just slumming it.”
Okay, so she was back to her feisty self. “Yeah, I do. And I guess you’re going to make me pay for that comment.”
“Why did you say it?”
“I’m a dumbass.”
“Agreed.”
“And I was afraid.”
She stared at him. “Bullshit.”
“No.” He sat on her bed next to her. “It’s the truth. I just…I used it as an excuse because I was jealous.”
“Of Ryan?” Disbelief filled her voice. “There’s no reason whatsoever to be jealous.”
“Well, I was. It just made me think that maybe you were more suited to someone like him.”
She stared at him for a long time. “Do you
think so little of me?”
“No, it’s not that.”
“It sure sounds like it. Ryan is the epitome of my father’s world. He cares about himself and his golf game and that’s it. Do you know why I love you, Aeden?”
He didn’t respond, not right away. He wasn’t sure she knew what she had just said.
“I love you because you’re good and trustworthy. You care about your family, and other people. And you make me feel beautiful.”
He blinked. “You are beautiful.”
She smiled. “Being attractive and feeling attractive are two different things. You make me feel good, and I don’t know if I could ever say that about another man.”
He leaned forward and brushed his mouth over hers. “I love you too, Wendy.”
“I know, and I would have beaten it out of you soon enough.”
He straightened. “I hope they let Mom and Dad back here soon. And I think Connal talked to everyone else.”
“God. Your family.”
“What?”
“They make me happy,” she said with a smile.
“So, who was the nurse talking about.” She frowned. “The training nurse she quoted?”
Wendy laughed. “That was me. They are always being buttheads and repeating my words back to me.”
* * *
* * *
It was at least two hours later before Wendy was settled in her room and everyone had left. Deidre and Big Mike had been in with flowers, as had all the guys. She’d talked to Kaitlin and soothed her concerns. Now, it was just Aeden. He’d informed the staff that he was staying and they had no choice. Truth was, the head nurse thought he was so cute. He’d been going on and on about how he felt it was his fault she was hurt. Actually, now that she thought about it, most of the nursing staff seemed to be in love with him.
She shook her head.
“What?”
“I was just thinking about how you conquered the nursing staff.”
He let one eyebrow rise. “Yeah?”
“Yeah, they all love you.”
“Maybe nurses just love me.”
There was a quick knock and the door opened. Detective O’Reilly pushed open the door. She was wearing scrubs and her arm was bandaged. There was a rather tall man, who walked in behind her, with such similar looks it had to be a relative.
“Hey, I heard they were keeping you overnight.”
“Yeah. You get shot and I get stuck in here.”
“I don’t have a concussion,” she said. “I’m on my way home, but I got a call. Your girl is probably not going to stand trial. Her problems go way back.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. She was here under an assumed name too. Her real name is Sally Anderson. She has been in and out of mental hospitals all her life.”
“Wow.”
“Wow is right. Apparently, someone recognized her today, and that’s why she went full throttle. For some reason, she was convinced that Davis was in love with her and that he would protect her. She blamed you for her getting caught.”
“Good God, the hospital is not going to want this to get out.”
“No. Although, it sounds like she actually did go to nursing school, just under this assumed name.”
“Oh, okay. Well, at least there is that,” Wendy said.
“You’ll have to give a statement, both of you,” she said, glancing at Aeden. “And next time the cop says wait, you wait.”
“What do you mean?” Wendy asked.
“Nothing,” Aeden said.
“Your boyfriend here wouldn’t listen to reason. He was out of the car and running up the stairs before I could catch him.”
“It all worked out,” Aeden said.
“With me getting shot.”
“It’s a flesh wound,” the man said, “And since she didn’t introduce me, I’ll do it myself. I’m Zane, her brother.”
“I figured,” Aeden said. “I know Zach.”
“Yeah, we all know the Fitzpatricks. There are so many of you in the fire department.”
“We have one or two cousins who embarrassed us and became cops,” Aeden said with a smile.
“Watch it, Fitzpatrick,” O’Reilly warned.
“You ready to go half-pint?”
“I told you I would shoot you the next time you called me that,” the detective muttered. “I’m on orders to stay home for three days, so I told Detective Sam Smith you would be in touch with him. He’ll come to your house and take your statements. But you have my number so don’t hesitate to call. Hopefully, it won’t go to trial and this will all be cleared up.”
“Thanks,” Aeden said.
Her brother opened the door. “Let’s go,” he said. She tossed him a look, but said nothing as she marched passed him out the door.
“Nice to meet both of you,” he said with a wink, then he followed his sister out the door.
“Well, that was interesting,” Wendy said.
“Yeah, it was. Family. So…what about yours? Should we call them?”
“I already talked to them.”
“You did?” he asked,
Then it hit her who he was talking about. “Oh, you mean my blood family. No. No reason. They might call if the news reaches them, but no need to worry about them.”
He shook his head. “Then what family were you talking about?”
“Yours. They are more my family than the people I share blood with.”
Slowly, his mouth curved. “Yeah? How about making it official?”
She was suddenly breathless. “That isn’t a proposal, is it”
“What if it is?”
“Then I have to say no.”
He blinked and his smile faded. “What? Why?”
“Because it sucks.” She huffed. “Want to be part of my family, officially? A complete cop out on your part.”
He laughed. “Okay, okay. I’ll do it right, but know that it is coming.”
“It had better be better than ‘marry me because you love my family.’”
He chuckled as he approached the bed. “Got room on the bed for me?”
His voice had dipped lower, and even with her injury, she couldn’t help but respond. Her pulse sped up and her body started to warm. How did he do that to her?
“And just what do you plan on doing once you’re in here with me?”
“Nothing. Promise,” he said as he toed off his shoes and slipped into bed beside her. “Truth is, I just want to hold you.”
She studied him and in his gaze, she saw the plain honest truth. He wanted to give her comfort. “That I can handle.”
“But if you want to use my body for your own pleasure, I’m okay with that too.”
She laughed and snuggled closer as Aeden slipped his arm around her. Contentment filtered over her, as she suddenly felt lighter. Her heart full of joy, she knew then, she had found her one and only love, at last.
The Lost Night
The Fitzpatricks, Book 0.5
One night in heaven changes both Aeden and Wendy’s lives. Find out how their romance started in a free short story by signing up for Mel’s Newsletter!
Brando and Kaitlin’s story
See how Kaitlin and Brando Santini first met, and get your first peek at the Fitzpatricks!
READ AN EXCERPT |BUY THE BOOK
He was searching for something that was missing from his life.
Brando Santini is headed to New Orleans to blow off some steam with a few of his buddies. The respite from his life as a Marine doesn’t really seem to do the trick until he runs into his college crush, Kaitlin Fitzpatrick. After a little dancing and a few drinks, they end up in bed together and Brando knows she’s the one for him.
One night will never be enough.
Kaitlin never forgot Brando. She never would have thought the sexy nerd would have remembered her. More than that, she definitely didn’t expect he would be interested in seducing her. Their time in New Orleans is intense but much too short. The memories of his lovemaking l
eave her counting the days until she sees him again.
A complication neither of them expected.
By the time Brando arrives in Maryland, Kaitlin suspects that their one night together has left them with more than memories. When Brando insists on marriage, she refuses on the grounds he doesn’t love her. But what Kaitlin doesn’t understand is that when a Santini wants to prove his love, nothing will stand in his way—not her five brothers, his own annoying family, or even the woman he adores.
TASK FORCE HAWAII
EVEN PARADISE HAS A DARK SIDE.
Working with local, state, and federal agencies, the men and women of TASK FORCE HAWAII work on cases ranging from bank heists to terrorism. A diverse team filled with ex-military, law enforcement, medical, and technical support, they are Hawaii’s last defense against the worst criminals. The series will include six books total.
Seductive Reasoning
BOOK ONE
BUY THE BOOK
* * *
He has a killer to catch and no time for love. Fate has other plans.
* * *
Former Army Special Forces Officer Martin “Del” Delano has enough on his hands chasing a serial killer and heading up TASK FORCE HAWAII. He definitely doesn’t need the distraction of Emma Taylor. From the moment they meet, she knocks him off his feet, literally. Unfortunately, she’s the best person to have on the team to make the connections to help them catch their killer.
* * *
For Emma, it’s hard to ignore the lure of a man like him. Tats, muscles and his Harley cause her to have more than a few fantasies about Del. He’d never be interested in a geek like her, but she can’t resist toying with him. When she pushes the teasing too far, she ends up in his bed. She convinces herself she can handle it until the moment he steals her heart.
* * *
Del can’t help falling for the quirky genius. She’s smart, funny and there’s a sweet vulnerable side to her that only he can see. As Emma gets more involved with the investigation, she becomes the target of the psychopath. When the danger escalates, Del promises to do anything to save the woman who not only captured his heart but also his soul.
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